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horses with Cushings,
that have heavy hair
coats should be body
clipped in hot, humid
weather if at all
possible. Signs of
hyperthermia are again,
increased temperature
(105-107F), respiration
rate increased to
80-100 breaths/minute
(normal 10-15 bpm) and
heart rate to 60 beats
per minute (normal 42
beats/minute). The horse may be sweating, but in
some cases the coat may be dry. The mucous
membranes may be dry and tacky. Other signs
include fatigue, staggering gait, stumbling, and other
neurologic signs if the temperature gets too high.
Other signs of dehydration along
with the overheating are dark
mucous membranes, dark urine
and skin that “tents” for several
seconds when pulled away from
the body.
Again, the first thing to do is get
the horse to shade. The next thing
is to cool the horse off as quickly
as possible. If the horse is not at a
neurological stage, use cold water
to cool off the large muscles of the
hindquarters. Scrape off the water
continually, and re-apply cold
water. Cold blankets can be
draped over the horse, but should
be changed frequently. Take the
horse’s temperature often to
insure that the temperature is
dropping. If the temperature is
above 104F, packing ice and cold
water along the neck and between the front legs will
help cool major blood vessels. Once the horse’s
temperature has lowered back to normal (101F),
continued cold water application may be contra-
indicated. Once the horse is stable, tepid or slightly
cool water can be offered. If the case of heat
exhaustion was
severe, or turned
into heat shock, it
may be a good
idea to have a
veterinarian do
blood work to
make sure there
were no lasting
effects to the
liver or kidneys.
The horse should
be put in a
shaded, cool
area, preferably with a fan. It should not be worked
for a week and then slowly brought back to its
previous work schedule. Like the foals, once a horse
has had heat stroke it is susceptible to having it in
the future. Therefore it is important to monitor very
closely if being worked in hot and/
or humid conditions.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO
PREVENT HEAT
EXHAUSTION?
The first thing would be to work
the horse or ride during the
evening or coolest part of the
morning. For many, that may not
be an option. Make sure your horse
is hydrated. Using electrolytes in
the summertime is never a bad
idea for any horses being worked
or ridden. Don’t over do it in hot
weather. Rest the horse
frequently. When resting, monitor
the horse’s temperature, heart
rate and respiration rate. Is the
horse willing to work? Is it
becoming irritable or refusing to
work? Is it too fatigued for the amount of work done?
Knowing your horse and what is normal or abnormal
for it during a work or riding session and keeping
things cool and easy as much as you can will go a
long way to enjoying the long hot summer ahead —
with a healthy horse!
Cool water applied to the neck helps
cool major blood vessels.
Wise endurance riders take advantage of cooling opportunities
on the trail.
LY
N
N
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G
LA
ZE
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AHW > 120 < 08 .19
sharon
(sharon)
#1